Darkness Colder Than Ice
by Master of the Hellish Yard
Summary: What would happen if the two raven-haired mages of Fiore were brothers? And what if one had been so badly injured on a mission, he was buried unknowingly alive? GrayxZeref as brothers, slight GrayxNatsu as friends. T to be safe.
1. A Burial of Odd Discretion

**A/N: Just as a pre-warning, I'm only half-way through the Tenroujima arc, so Zeref may be OoC. Please enjoy anyways, Master of the Hellish Yard**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail isn't mine, and Gray probably thanks Kami-sama for that.**

**xxxxxxxxxxx**

No matter how far Gray opened his eyes, the world was dark. No matter how hard he listened, he couldn't hear any voices. For that matter, he couldn't hear any sound at all.

Maybe he _had_ died on that mission. Maybe this was what death was really like, endless darkness and silence. At least whatever he was laying on was soft.

Gray shivered. _That was weird,_ he thought. _I never get cold. And yet…_ Gray couldn't deny that the shiver was from the cold he was feeling, not from any emotions towards his predicament. Trying to get up, Gray winced. There was pain all over. _I must have gone to hell. That would be why there's nothing here. Or maybe this is heaven, and they've left me like this, covered in injuries, just to spite me. _Yes, Gray was covered in injuries, and they were pretty deep. There was no light coming in from anywhere, so Gray couldn't see the bandages, but he knew they were there. He could _feel_ them. Heavy and thick, he must have been hurt bad. Trying to move once more, Gray this time withstood the pain in his arms but then hit his head on something.

Reaching up, he discovered it felt wooden. _That's odd…_ He thought. _Why would there be wood around me?_ Confused and tired, Gray wanted to go to sleep. Suddenly, there was a slight noise, and the space around him shook. Although Gray didn't know what exactly it was, He thought it sounded like Natsu. In pain. And calling out –_This can't be true_- Gray's name.

Reaching and feeling all around him, instantly Gray understood where he was. He felt a wave of nausea rush over him. But he had to resist it. It would not only be all over him, it would fill the little amount of air remaining, and if that happened, Gray would truly be dead. No, first he had to think. Think of a way to get out. And he needed to conserve the air. Why?

He had been buried alive.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Crying on the ground above where the ice mage rested were many of Fairy Tail's mages. Recently, Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Erza and Gray had gone on a mission, one that had 'fatally' wounded Gray.

When they had first burst back into the guild, Gray had been held in Natsu's arms. If not for the dire look of former mage's injuries and latter's expression, the rest of the members would have burst out laughing. Instead, the useful ones had hurried to get a room ready in which to bandage and heal Gray while the others stayed out of the way.

Nobody had ever seen Natsu so focused without flames bursting all around him, and honestly it was quite a fearful sight. Even when Gray had been taken care of, however, he had still not woken up. That could be considered normal, but on the sixth day, preparations for a funeral began.

Gray's pulse could no longer be felt, and his body was colder and more still than it should be, even for a normal ice mage. Two days later, the grounds had been prepared. By the third, there was a thick marble stone resting atop a mound of freshly turned-over dirt and a wooden box, deep inside.

The ground above was covered with fairies, and even near the back were two people from Lamia Scale. One had been the elder pupil; the other was compassionate about love. Up towards the front were some of Gray's closer nakama, some of his better friends. There was Macao and Cana, both still until Cana broke down onto Macao's chest, Mirajane and Elfman, who were both shedding tears for their 'fallen' nakama, Loke and Lucy, the former holding the quaking blonde while letting out tears of his own as he looked towards his friend's final area of rest, and finally Natsu and Erza.

Erza did have tears coming from her real eye, yet she didn't seem to be truly upset. She seemed to be in a state of shock, and in which she was looking but not seeing.

Natsu, on the other hand, was off to the side, slightly apart from all of the others. At first, he had been looking slightly skywards with tears falling down his face from shadowed eyes, but now he had slumped to his knees and was beating the ground, harder with each word.

Dying, leaving the rest behind, selfish, Natsu was trying so hard to take things back to the way they were. When he could no longer think of anything to say, he hit the ground with everything he had and then some, painfully shrieking out his rival's, no. His _best friend_'s name.

Everybody could feel the grief and sorrow of Natsu. They couldn't understand just how much it hurt, but they could feel that it was deep. Even though they were all upset, Natsu's grief was tenfold. And they couldn't do anything to save him from it.

**xxxxxxxxxxx**

Only once the funeral crowd had all dispersed did a figure emerge from the nearby bushes. Slinking over towards the gravestone, tears dripping from his face, the figure softly whispered to the still body below. His voice was tender and cracking, full of loneliness, pain, and sorrow. As he spoke, the figure fell to his knees, tears pouring out of his eyes.

"Sayonara, dear brother. I wish only we could have been together, that I could have known you, protected you, loved you. Even being able to show you of my existence, our bond would have been enough."

Slumping even lower from his position on his knees, the black figure took some time to just be near his brother. Knowing he could not be there for long, the figure regretfully got up and left, leaving behind a single, black rose.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**A/N: So I'm pretty sure you all know who the 'black figure' is, but if you don't (and even if you do), please keep reading. I would have made this chapter longer, but I'm stumped on how to get Gray out of the grave. Please help! He's trapped under six feet of dirt in a sealed wooden box, and I can't kill him (at least not yet 3:D), so please send in your ideas!**


	2. A sense of Warmth

**A/N: I noticed that the paragraphs on the last chapter were all bunched up, so I've fixed and reposted that. I also added a few details, so please take the time to read it again!**

**Thanks to Dattebayo Devon's Kitty and Foxy for the ideas on getting Gray out of the grave. I'm sure he, Zeref, and all of the others are glad. **_**Then again, they may all be scared out of their wits once they see him… hmmm…**_

**Disclaimer: *sighs* No, I don't own Fairy Tail. Not now, not ever.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Gray could feel he was getting low on oxygen. He had to do something, and he had to do it fast. But what?

Gray's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a noise. It sounded like scratching, and it seemed to be getting closer and closer. A revelation went through the 'dead' boy's head. Somebody was digging him out! But who? Lying with his eyes open so as to let the person know he was alive, Gray waited. It didn't take long for the grave-digger to reach the coffin. The worst part was listening while the top was being slowly pulled apart, although it didn't sound like the person was trying to take their time. Gray laughed. They had probably gone delusional, whoever 'they' were.

When the lid finally came off, Gray was surprised. There was barely any light, so his eyes didn't burn. Even more surprising, however, was the face above him. His rescuer, the person who had _dug up his grave,_ was none other than his rival Natsu!

Moving to try and get out of his coffin, Gray was embraced by the arms of the pink-haired boy. He clearly _had_ gone delusional. Otherwise, there definitely would have been some surprise at the fact Gray was alive (and there probably wouldn't have been any hug).

Leaving from his own thoughts, Gray heard the other mumbling. Paying closer attention, the raven-haired one heard our dragonslayer in tears.

"I was right. Gray. I was right! You hadn't died. You're still here, with me. They were wrong. You're alive."

Gray sighed. It sounded like even though he now had fresh oxygen, he wasn't going to be out of his grave for a while. Then he shivered. Once again, he wondered why. He was an ice mage. He had been brought up stripping in a freezing climate. So why was he cold?

Feeling the shiver, Natsu came back to (some of) his senses. He saw that Gray was still only wearing what he had been buried in, and the rainy day had turned into a foggy night. Considering Gray had been buried in only pants and bandages, and he was still obviously not healed, Natsu had to get Gray somewhere safe and warm. Looking all around him, he decided on the closest place – Lucy's apartment. He didn't even think about how she'd react when she saw her 'dead' friend lying on the couch, but that was Natsu for you. Helping the ice mage up, Natsu had to shoulder most of the weight. Gray's legs couldn't take it, yet.

"Sorry…" Gray mumbled as Natsu took him out of the grave. Natsu himself just smiled one of his signature grins, and responded, "What for? You aren't dead, but if they thought they had to bury you, you were obviously bad off."

Gray realized Natsu was right. Just how 'bad off' had he been? Too tired to think, especially considering he had just nearly run out of breathable air, Gray leaned onto the fire mage. He didn't know where they were going, or what he was doing, but he knew he was cold – and Natsu wasn't.

Watching from the bushes once again was the black figure. Through Natsu's ballistic movements of uncovering the coffin, the black rose had been thrown aside. _'Heh. No use for that now, is there?' _the black figure thought to himself. After all, he just might be able to see his brother once again.

And this time, there might be some beautiful memories made.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

By the time they had reached the edge of the graveyard, Gray was freezing. It made no sense, to him or the fire mage. With nothing to help cover the cold boy, Natsu just pulled him in closer and focus on raising his body temperature. He could only hope it would help.

Walking through the streets of Magnolia, Natsu was getting tired. He had just recovered from going insane, and throughout that insane period he had dug up six feet of dirt and pried open a wooden casket. Now he was shouldering nearly all of the weight of his friend, while also trying to control his body temperature to keep that friend warm. Lucy's apartment, though closest out of all of the team's houses, was still far from the graveyard. Natsu was worried. How far could he make it, and for that matter, how far could _Gray_ make it? Strong as they both were, Gray was an ice mage that was freezing. His bandages were being soaked as they continued in the fog, and his breath was becoming ragged. Thinking back on the mission that brought this about, Natsu winced. That was something he never wanted to think about, _ever_ again.

When they finally reached the young blonde's apartment, they could see no lights were on. _That's easier for once we're inside, but how are we gonna _get_ inside?_ Natsu thought to himself.

Gray, on the other hand, recognized where they were and immediately created a key with his magic.

Sweat dropping, Natsu wondered just how many times Gray had done that to memorize the shape of the key. But then again, Natsu always flew through the window, and he was there even more often than the mage in question.

Inside of the house, Natsu and Gray sat down on the couch. Even though the fire mage knew something should be done for Gray quickly, that boy was _heavy_. Natsu figured he could last a few minutes while he regained his strength.

As if in compliance, the ice mage looked to the rose-headed boy and nodded. He knew the other was tired, he knew how hard it was to support someone the same size as you when you weren't exactly 'on par' yourself. The boy knew he could manage for a while, now that he was safely inside.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

That 'while' was short-lived. About 15 minutes after sitting down, Natsu realized the figure next to him was shivering. _Had he ever stopped?_ The mage wondered to himself.

Getting up, Natsu took care to help Gray into a laying position on the couch as he went off to search for some blankets and first aid materials. A bed would have been best, but unfortunately, the only bed in the house was currently occupied by somebody oblivious to her intruders.

When Natsu came back, he saw Gray had managed to calm his shivering somewhat, but upon closer inspection, realized it was just Gray trying to get his friend to stop worrying. That just made matters worse, and the next thing the boys knew, Gray's head was on Natsu's lap as the latter warmed his hands and body. Even though Natsu knew what Gray really needed was to change out of his wet clothing and bandages, the fire mage figured it could wait until after he had warmed up some. _It's also a lot easier to wrap someone when they aren't shaking all over,_ the worried pink-haired boy thought.

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Gray was only half-conscious by the time Natsu had gotten off the couch, and therefore had no issues complying to what the other was doing. As soon as the other got up, however, Gray instantly felt the loss of heat. Try as he might, he just couldn't stop shivering. Even the little bit he had managed to control seemed to only make the pink-haired boy more worried.

How Gray's head had managed to get onto Natsu's lap, he wasn't sure of anymore, but he could feel the warmth radiating from the other. Most days, that feeling would be uncomfortable and strongly opposed by both of them, but today, it was so comfortable that Gray barely noticed the hands moving about him, drying his bandages.

The raven-haired boy wished he completely loose consciousness, but for reasons unknown, his body refused to allow him sleep. He doubted it was because of anything that had just happened; every now and then people just weren't able to get to sleep. Sighing, Gray looked at the face above him.

"What's wrong, flame brain? I'm right here aren't I?"

A slight smile formed on the other's lips. "Yeah, I guess you are, ice brain."

Happy that he could bring his friend to retort, Gray closed his eyes again. Then he wondered. Where was Happy during all this mess? The ice mage hadn't seen hide nor hair of him. Then again, he hadn't seen anybody else either. But with Happy… Natsu wouldn't leave him alone while he snuck out at night, which meant the cat was probably here, yet it sure didn't seem like it.

Trying to think of anywhere else the blue thing could be, Gray winced. His head was pounding. He needed rest, and the foggy night air had done nothing to help him. Neither had the extra drama of being buried, but the air was the most at fault. With a ragged cough, Gray tried to sit up, but felt his arms give up on him.

When the ice mage had winced, Natsu had thought something was wrong. The cough made him think even more so. Once the ice mage had fallen onto his lap after a fruitless effort to get up, Natsu _knew_ something was wrong. After all, why hadn't the boy gone to sleep? He needed it, and he sure looked like he wanted it.

It was going to be a long night.

**xxxxxxxxxxx**

A/N: I actually do wonder where Happy is…. Knowing him, he'll randomly show up somewhere though.

Please continue to read, and if you find time, review! I'll try to respond to each of them.

SadLulu: Thank you! I'll try to update again soon~

Hikari: Thanks! I never actually thought about that until you mentioned it, but you're right… *sadistic grin* Gray's in for it now…

Fairytopia: I'll try to update soon, and yes they do! I thought it was Gray at first too, and that confused me until I saw the magic XD

David Vermillion: Yes there will be more, and I'm glad you like it.


	3. A Friend's Surprise

Disclaimer: Zeref would probably have appeared a lot sooner if I owned Fairy Tail.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

At some point during the night, Gray managed to fall asleep. It was a restless sleep, but it was sleep all the same. Natsu stayed up, to make sure that first of all; the boy wasn't an illusion, and second of all; if the boy was real and he needed something, Natsu could get it.

Although, that last part was a bit off as the raven-haired boy was laying on his lap and clinging to his warmth. It worried Natsu even more that the ice mage was in need of warmth. Something was seriously wrong.

Throughout the night, Gray continued to search for heat and Natsu complied, but the shivering didn't stop. Neither did his coughs, only getting more ragged as time went on. The fire mage had to get him to a doctor. Polyushka would probably know what to do, but Natsu wasn't sure if she would even take care of him. Her hatred of humans could be quite scary…

Natsu knew that Gray didn't want all this trouble made for him. He also knew that Mirajane, helpful though she was, probably wouldn't know how to help Gray. _Argh! Wendy might know something… But this doesn't seem like something she could heal. If only we knew where Grandine was…!'_

Immediately after that thought, Gray stirred once more. His body was still quaking, and his coughs continued to rattle his frame, but the ice mage managed to open his eyes.

Staring into the worried dark eyes with a hint of green above him, Gray tried to speak. He opened his mouth, only to find no voice coming out. Shocked back into real life, Natsu stopped the boy. _If he wastes his energy trying to speak, recovery will be even harder_. There was no way Natsu was letting the boy get any worse than he was. Even though he knew that there was no way he could control it. But as long as he held out hope, the pink-haired youth believed good things would come.

**xxxxx**

As she sat up in her bed, Lucy stretched. Even though she was upset over the death of her teammate, she had still managed to get a good night's sleep. It was odd, but as Lucy came into awakening, the realization set in.

At the funeral, Lucy had cried. She had held on for dear life to Loke's shirt and allowed the tears to fall. At that time, she probably had some realization of what had happened. But that was nothing compared to what she felt now. Gray… was no longer in this world. Never again would she see his deep, mysterious eyes or his toned, muscled chest. She wouldn't have to worry about him leaving clothes all around her apartment anymore, but… she honestly didn't mind it. Lucy could feel an emptiness inside her. She had felt one like this when her mother passed away too. The emptiness, whether for nakama or family, was always an unwelcome presence. It would be so much easier if only she could shut off all emotions, not feel anything. The girl cynically laughed as she remembered thinking the same thing when her mother passed away. Fairy Tail had taught her that emotions, feelings, worry; all of them were shared and felt throughout. Blocking them away only pushed others back while hurting them. She wasn't about to do that. Her friends were important to her, and blocking away emotions would only hurt her more. Sadly, the blonde mage got dressed. When she got to the guild, she wouldn't be alone. This time, the girl would share her suffering.

Stepping out of her bedroom, Lucy decided against eating breakfast at the guild. Even though she didn't want to be alone, Lucy needed a bit more time before she saw anybody. Her thoughts and feelings weren't quite collected yet.

That was probably one of the reasons that Lucy didn't pay much attention to the figures laying on her couch. Another, possibly because she had grown accustomed to her friends being in her house when she woke up. A preoccupied mind often doesn't pay much attention to what's around them, anyways.

While Lucy began a pot of coffee, she realized that she had forgotten to grab her belt. Her keys were firmly pressed in her hand, yet she knew that she would have to let go of them _sometime_.

Walking back towards her bedroom, Lucy took a closer look at the sofa. The things on it were asleep. Okay, so there was pink hair. Natsu must have come over sometime in the night. But there was something else, too. With its head in Natsu's _lap_. It was another body, about the same height and build as Natsu, but with lighter skin – actually the skin was quite pale, it looked sickly – and raven-black hair. There were many bandages on it, in the spots where _Gray had been injured…_

Moving the hair on covering the face aside, the figure's skin was cool to Lucy's touch. _It couldn't be true. I saw his coffin nailed shut, I saw the dirt fill in the hole._ Shivering out of curiosity and the thought that had just run through her head, Lucy looked at the face.

Above his left eye, there was a small scar. The Fairy Tail insignia was on his right pectoral, in a deep, almost navy blue colour. _There's no way… I saw it myself… And yet, he's…_

There was no doubt about it. Her friend, her teammate, her _nakama_, wasn't dead. He was shallowly breathing right here on Lucy's couch. If the moment hadn't been so scary and shocking, Lucy would have taken a picture. After all, whoever said blackmail wasn't useful…?

It took Lucy a while to get over her shock. After all, if you thought your teammate was dead and then he showed up in your house the next morning, would you be a bit surprised? Quickly the blonde ran to her bedroom for her belt, returning so she could watch the boys sleep.

It was such a cute sight, one that you would never expect to be able to see, and Lucy knew she wouldn't view it again in this lifetime. The stellar mage had grabbed a camera with her belt, and she quietly took some images. Not only would she be able to remember this forever, she had something to give Mira the next time they wasted her reward money.

Hearing something bubbling in the kitchen, Lucy realized the coffee pot was still on. She ran to clean up the mess and make it quiet down before the boys awoke, but no such luck. Just as she was about to enter the kitchen, the rose-headed one blinked his eyes and wearily called out, "Lucy…?"

Lucy tried to get the boy to go back to sleep, but he refused. Even though he was exhausted, he didn't want to go back to sleep. Heck, he hadn't even meant to do it in the first place. Natsu didn't know when Gray would wake up, so he had to stay awake. With a sigh, Lucy got up. She had lost the moment. And now she had to clean up a boiled-over pot of coffee.

**xxxxxxxx**

Looking down at the boy on his lap, Natsu wished he could do more. All he could see was suffering on the face beneath him, suffering and pain. He was freezing, too. Not his normal cool-to-the-touch skin temperature, but honestly cold. Cold enough to make even the great ice mage exhibitionist shiver. Hard. And the only thing Natsu could do was try and use his warmth on the boy's skin.

Lucy was getting worried once again. She could see the black circles under Natsu's eyes, and she could see the horrible condition Gray was in. They needed to do something, and it had to be done quickly. Lucy sighed. She knew what she could do right now, but it wasn't going to be easy.

Walking back into the living room, Lucy put a hand to Natsu's forehead. While she did need to know if he was ill or not, it was mainly to get his attention. Man, could he ever be single-minded.

Once he looked up, Lucy whispered to him that they should take Gray to her room. He needed to be in a proper bed, and he needed medical attention. She could go get somebody from the guild once they were laying down. Natsu knew he needed Gray to be covered, but he also knew that nobody from the guild would be able to help. Jicchan didn't have enough medical knowledge, and he doubted anybody else would be able to do anything.

Carrying Gray to the bedroom was a lot harder than Lucy had originally anticipated. She had known Natsu was somewhat worn out, but she had no idea how bad it was. Neither did Natsu, apparently. He had gotten up and promptly fallen back onto the couch. Only once the freezing youth had been taken off of Natsu was he able to get up. Taking Gray off the couch was the next step, and it ended with Gray's legs being held by the rosy-haired boy and the raven-haired boy's head in the arms of Lucy.

Walking with a body stretching horizontally between you and another person is quite difficult, and going through a doorway even more so as it involves either turning the body vertical or doing a 90-degree turn with one person walking backwards. While the second option seems to be the easiest, the minds of the dragonslayer and stellar mage decided to turn the body itself to go through the doorway, using even more energy and time. Of course, what else could be expected of Fairy Tail mages?

Once the body had been placed onto the bed, Lucy spoke to Natsu once more. More correctly, it would be described as forced movement, seeing how by the end of the 'conversation', Natsu had been pushed onto the bed and under the covers next to the other boy, threatened that if he didn't get some rest too, Lucy would personally call Erza on him. Shuddering at the thought, Natsu had succumbed and crawled into the bed, hoping Lucy would leave soon.

As she closed the door on the boys, Lucy knew Natsu probably wouldn't stay in the bed. At least she had tried. He needed to rest, though… If only he understood.

Lucy ran to the guild. She knew that every moment lost, while not necessarily meaning impending death, certainly didn't help improve matters either.

**xxxxxx**

Out in the bushes, a black figure was sitting in wait. He had seen the blonde exit the house, and stepped out into the daylight as he began to climb the stairs. _Dear brother, once more I will reach you. Let us only hope it is not to late… for both you _and _myself._

**xxxxxxxxx**

A/N: The black figure has finally made his appearance. But will it be good or bad? Even I don't know.

Please continue to read and review, I greatly appreciate it!


	4. A Figure Shrouded in Shadow

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is not mine, and if it was the characters would kill me -.-;

* * *

><p>Lucy was getting tired. She hadn't realized how far the guild seemed to be from her house when she needed to get there in a hurry. Still, the girl pressed on. She needed to be there, to tell everybody that Gray wasn't dead, and to get him some medical help so it stayed that way. The guild members didn't need any more suffering from this.<p>

Turning a corner, Lucy could see the roof of the guild coming into view. Heaving a breath somewhat similar to relief, she added an extra burst of speed. The sooner she got there, the better.

* * *

><p>Back at Lucy's house, a figure shrouded in darkness stood at the door. After coming such a ways, and seeing so much, the figure knew that they couldn't leave it all for naught. They only needed a moment, time to consider what to say, what to do… And it only needed a moment to feel how precarious the situation could be. Fortunately, the figure's 'dear brother' was currently in a house with a dragonslayer on alert. That meant that the moment never had to come.<p>

Sniffing the air, Natsu sensed someone's presence at the door. The scent was odd – he couldn't place whom exactly it belonged to, or even where he knew it from, but he knew he had smelled it before. Either way, the dragonslayer had to see who it was. If it was help, they may be able to do something for Gray. If it wasn't, well… he would just have to deal with them.

Natsu decided to wait for the person to knock. Standing ready at the door, he looked back at the bed. Gray was sweating, but he had no fever. The sweat was cold, and the young mage's body was shaking profusely. Whatever had happened to him had _not_ been good.

When the knock finally came, Natsu loosened up. Not enough to completely let his guard down, but the knock had been quite quiet – as though the one who knocked was scared. Scared of what, the pinkette didn't know, but it felt reassuring. Opening the door, however, made the boy tense up much tighter.

Because at the door stood Deliora's creator.

Right before Natsu's flaming fist could land on the body, the black-cloaked figure held up his hands. The sense of shyness his knock had held was still there, as though the boy meant no harm. This time, however, the dragonslayer refused to loosen up. The man in front of him had destroyed Gray's town, ruined his childhood, _killed Gray's parents!_ And yet, he stood there. As if he had the right to be near.

Realizing that the pink-haired boy wasn't about to accept his actions, the figure decided to speak. Still holding his hands up, he moved a step inwards.

"Natsu." The mage looked surprised, wondering how this _demon_ knew his name.

Noting the look of confusion, the other continued on.

"For many years I have been watching. Looking, seeing how he has grown up. For many years, I have wished to be around him. To share with him emotions, or even familial bonds. However, that one day where his life was changed destroyed all that. Nevermore did I feel I had the right to speak to him, or even be acknowledged in his presence. And so, I watched. Yet, after witnessing his 'rebirth', I realized that it no longer mattered. While before I had made myself feel satisfaction from seeing him learn happiness once again through your guild, I now accept that what I truly wanted would also benefit him. Please, allow me to see my brother."

Standing rooted to the ground, it took Natsu a moment before everything sunk in. The thing standing before them had been stalking somebody for a really long time. That somebody had been Gray. Laughing somewhat to himself, he wondered if Juvia had ever seen him. The boy somehow doubted it. However, the seriousness returned when Natsu realized what the last line had been. The creature before him, the one who had created the thing that killed Gray's parents, had called himself Gray's brother.

Before he could question the black figure in front of him. Natsu heard Gray coughing. Running towards the bedroom, he heard another pair of footsteps behind him. _Wonderful. But if he can do something for Gray, then it's for the better_.

Inside the room, Gray was lying on the bed with the blankets tightly wrapped around him. He was still shaking, and Natsu mentally cursed himself for not leaving anything warm in the bed when he got up. As he moved towards the bed, Natsu wished the other person would leave. Whether or not he was really Gray's brother, this situation didn't need to get any more awkward than it already was.

The black figure also looked uncomfortable, although it seemed to be more directed towards seeing the raven-haired boy in such distress. Before Natsu could do anything, the figure sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the blankets off of Gray. They were damp from the cold sweat, and would only make him worse. Motioning to the pink-haired mage, the black-cloaked one stood.

"Please, keep him warm again. I will get blankets. The ones that were on him are not good any longer."

While Natsu still didn't trust the man, he had already planned to warm Gray up again. And he had sounded so… _desperate._ The worry in his voice sounded genuine. As he climbed back next to Gray, he wondered how the other knew where the blankets were. Maybe he had come in before, too…

When he arrived back in the bedroom, the figure heard two sets of breathing. _Natsu has gone to sleep as well. That is good; he looked like he needed it. _ As he pulled the blankets up around the two, a contented smile settled on his face. While he might not have been able to see his brother before, he had the feeling that they could start anew.

Even with Natsu's high body temperature around him, Gray continued to shake. No matter what he did, Gray couldn't get warm. It was as if a small film surrounded him, blocking out the heat and keeping in the cold. As if his body and soul were no longer connected…

This was a worrying development. The mysterious figure knew such a thing could happen – he'd _seen_ it happen before – and it rarely, if even, ended well. It was even worse that he was cold, for the figure knew he was an ice mage that had spent a good portion of his childhood stripping in the snowy north. The raven-haired boy definitely didn't have qualms with the cold, only heat. And yet, the boy was just lying there, shivering. The reason… The figure shook its head. Right now, he couldn't waste time thinking about such things.

'_Dear brother… Please, come around quickly. I wish to see your face, alive and without the strain of shadow.'_

As he watched the two rest, the figure realized his body was weary. However, to sleep would be of no use to those in the bed. When they awoke, he had to be sure to be awake as well.

Getting up, the figure moved towards the kitchen. Perhaps a warm cup of tea would refresh his senses…

* * *

><p>The doors to the guild were thrown open with a slam. If it hadn't been for Gray's worsening condition, the blonde would have worried it was a side effect of being around Natsu so often.<p>

Not bothering to worry about the fact that everybody was staring at her, Lucy proceeded to the bar counter. It was surprising; nobody was drinking. If they drank anything, it was water or milk. Nothing alcoholic spilled through the guild today.

Noting Lucy's… Natsu-like arrival, Master wondered how she was faring. While he couldn't see any romantic interest between the two, all of the members of that team had been extremely close. Master had never expected Lucy to be a loud mourner, either.

When he studied her closer, however, Makarov saw that she didn't look as though she was grieving at all. Not one article of clothing was black – although everybody had decided Gray wouldn't have wanted a black-coloured guild because of him anyways – and her eyes look more alive than he had seen since that mission. Either she was in denial, or had recovered _really_ quickly.

His thoughts were interrupted when the celestial mage began to speak.

"Master… We need your help… Quickly. And someone… for healing… too." Lucy spoke between pants.

The mage looked oddly disheveled. Had she run all the way to the guild? While her house wasn't all _that_ far, it wasn't right across the street either. And Lucy wasn't the most active member of the guild. Something was up, and whatever it was, it looked big. Her next words only fulfilled this statement:

"Gray's still alive."

* * *

><p>The cup of tea had been nice. Surprisingly, Gray had a fair amount of choice. It bemused the figure slightly, but not by much. It may not have even been Gray's to begin with – that stalker lady might have given it to him for help 'keeping up his health' or it may have been a previous or temporary roommate's.<p>

As he now felt less bleary, the black-cloaked one returned to the bedroom. His eyes caught sight of the raven-haired one still shivering, yet his body and soul looked to have reconnected, even if only slightly. _Perhaps worry had clouded my eyes earlier... Or he is simply stronger than I perceived… _

The fact he was shivering so much even with Natsu's added body heat was not a good development, however. Especially because the body heat was Natsu's, which happens to be higher than the average person's. Perhaps that was the issue, though. Almost like how running hot water over skin that has frozen merely makes matters worse…

Unsure of how accurate his deduction was, the figure once again went to get new blankets. As soon as the other boy woke up, his bandages would be replaced. That should help matters.

Coming back to the room, the figure placed the blankets over the two on the bed. Even the pinkette was still asleep. Without knowledge of what had led to the situation, an onlooker would only see two young mages holding each other in sleep. It was an endearing sight – one that brought a smile to the black figure's lips.

Some time after the new blankets had been given to the boys, the figure had sat down. Watching the boys rest was very peaceful, especially since he no longer had to hide in order to do so. It gave the figure an odd feeling of freedom. He hadn't felt that in such a long time that it was hard to name.

The figure was startled from his musings when he heard a slight creaking. Focusing his eyes, he realized that staring straight back into them was another set, this time a deep, deep blue. And along with the eyes, a voice hoarse from unused poured from the mouth.

"Zere..f…"

A/N: And the black figure has been named! Gosh, this chapter took forever to write. I hate writer's block…

Anyways, this is about as far as I had planned. So if you have anything you'd like to see coming up, or any developments you think would be interesting, I'd be glad to hear them.

Until next time,

Master of the Hellish Yard


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